Alizarin Crimson, considered a cool colour as it leans towards blue

I always think of this colour as a blood red, but maybe it depends what blood group you are ho ho. Well mix it as you like for stunning purples.

Alizarin crimson is a shade of red that is biased slightly more towards purple than towards orange on the colour wheel and has a blue undertone.

It is named after the dye found in the madder plant. William Henry Perkin, and English chemist, had co-discovered a way to synthesize the pigment alizarin, which became known as the colour alizarin crimson. Its consistency and lightfastness quickly made it a favourite red pigment for artists.

Alizarin crimson can create a wide range of rich, permanent purples and browns. The dye was prominently used for dyeing clothes and traces were found in Ancient Egypt, Persia and the ruins of Pompeii. By the seventh century BC, the dye had been made into a lake pigment (A lake pigment is a pigment made by precipitating a dye with an inert binder) and was used across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. By this time the use of madder dye and pigment were widespread, but they remained costly and time-consuming to produce.

Remember, depending on the make of paint that you use the colour and it's mixing ability will vary.

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